A 17-year-old Winthrop University student was ticketed for drinking beer and having cigarettes late Saturday night after he stopped to talk with a police officer who was assisting a driver on campus, according to university police records.

A 17-year-old Winthrop University student was ticketed for drinking beer and having cigarettes late Saturday night after he stopped to talk with a police officer who was assisting a driver on campus, according to university police records.

Police say the student, who is from Myrtle Beach, was walking on campus near Richardson Hall when he stopped to ask a police officer whether she needed help. The officer noticed that the student smelled like alcohol and had two cigarettes tucked behind his ears, according to the Winthrop police report.

The student claimed that his friend had spilled beer on him but the officer could smell the alcohol on his breath, the report states. He was given a $470 ticket for possession of alcohol by a minor and a $106 ticket for underage possession of cigarettes.